Texas Dem James Talarico admits he ‘missed the mark’ when pressed on ‘God is non-binary’ statement

AUSTIN, TEXAS: James Talarico said Wednesday that some of his past comments “missed the mark” after being pressed in an interview over earlier remarks in which he claimed, “God is non-binary."

During an interview with CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe, the Democratic Texas Senate hopeful was asked directly about the resurfaced comments and given a chance to explain them as clips continue circulating in GOP attack ads and social media posts.

“So, they are running a handful of highlights of things you have said in the past, and I wanted to give you an opportunity to respond or clarify,” O’Keefe told him. “In 2021, in a speech during a debate over transgender issues, you said, ‘God is non-binary.’ What did you mean by that?”

Talarico acknowledged the remark was meant to stir debate.

“Well, you know, I think I was being intentionally provocative with that statement, but what it means is that God cannot be defined by human categories,” Talarico responded. “The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, says that in Christ there is neither male nor female.”

The Democrat appeared to reference Galatians 3:28, a verse discussing how Christ views believers rather than the nature of Christ Himself. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus," the passage reportedly states.

Talarico then pivoted to his campaign message. “I am always going to stand up for Texans who are being picked on by the most powerful, most corrupt politicians in the country, and I am going to continue doing that in this race and hopefully in the United States Senate,” he said.

‘Cringey comments’ and Ken Paxton attacks

O’Keefe later noted that Talarico himself admitted the original statement was provocative and asked whether he regretted making it.

The Texas lawmaker conceded he had made mistakes but accused Republican rival Ken Paxton of using old clips to divert attention from his own controversies.

“There are some statements that I have made that I certainly regret. There are statements that I have made where I have missed the mark. I will be the first to admit that,” Talarico said. “But Ken Paxton is intentionally clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption.”

Talarico then contrasted his own political résumé with Paxton’s legal troubles.

“Ken Paxton has a criminal record. I have a legislative record,” he continued. “I have served for four terms in the Texas House of Representatives, where I brought Democrats and independents together to actually make progress for people. I have brought Republican legislators and Democratic legislators together to cut property taxes, to raise teacher pay, to lower the cost of housing, child care, and prescription drugs.”

The Democrat also pointed to his bipartisan record in Austin.

“I have passed more than 60 bipartisan bills as a legislator,” Talarico added. “I have also called out the extremes in both parties, on the left and the right. I have called out Ken Paxton for his blatant corruption, but I also called out President Biden for failing to secure our southern border.”

James Talarico revisits controversial remark

O’Keefe also brought up another controversial statement from Talarico’s past, when he argued modern science recognizes six biological chromosomal variations while discussing whether s*x exists on a spectrum.

“Do you still believe there are six biological s*xes?” O’Keefe asked.

Talarico gave a more direct answer this time.

“I know there are two s*xes, men and women. I also know there is a very small percentage of people who have these chromosomal abnormalities, and I believe they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” he said.

Republicans have continued to paint Talarico as too progressive for Texas, a state that has not elected a Democrat to statewide office in decades.